Wouters Arno G B, Rombouts Ine, Fierens Ellen, Brijs Kristof, Delcour Jan A
Laboratory of Food Chemistry and Biochemistry and Leuven Food Science and Nutrition Research Center (LFoRCe), KU Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 20, B-3001, Leuven, Belgium.
Compr Rev Food Sci Food Saf. 2016 Jul;15(4):786-800. doi: 10.1111/1541-4337.12209. Epub 2016 Apr 26.
Proteins play a crucial role in determining texture and structure of many food products. Although some animal proteins (such as egg white) have excellent functional and organoleptic properties, unfortunately, they entail a higher production cost and environmental impact than plant proteins. It is rather unfortunate that plant protein functionality is often insufficient because of low solubility in aqueous media. Enzymatic hydrolysis strongly increases solubility of proteins and alters their functional properties. The latter is attributed to 3 major structural changes: a decrease in average molecular mass, a higher availability of hydrophobic regions, and the liberation of ionizable groups. We here review current knowledge on solubility, water- and fat-holding capacity, gelation, foaming, and emulsifying properties of plant protein hydrolysates and discuss how these properties are affected by controlled enzymatic hydrolysis. In many cases, research in this field has been limited to fairly simple set-ups where functionality has been assessed in model systems. To evolve toward a more widely applied industrial use of plant protein hydrolysates, a more thorough understanding of functional properties is required. The structure-function relationship of protein hydrolysates needs to be studied in depth. Finally, test model systems closer to real food processing conditions, and thus to real foods, would be helpful to evaluate whether plant protein hydrolysates could be a viable alternative for other functional protein sources.
蛋白质在决定许多食品的质地和结构方面起着至关重要的作用。尽管一些动物蛋白（如蛋清）具有优异的功能和感官特性，但不幸的是，它们的生产成本和环境影响高于植物蛋白。相当遗憾的是，由于在水性介质中的低溶解度，植物蛋白的功能往往不足。酶解作用会显著提高蛋白质的溶解度并改变其功能特性。后者归因于三个主要的结构变化：平均分子量降低、疏水区域的可及性增加以及可电离基团的释放。我们在此综述了关于植物蛋白水解物的溶解度、持水和持油能力、凝胶化、发泡和乳化特性的现有知识，并讨论了这些特性如何受到可控酶解作用的影响。在许多情况下，该领域的研究仅限于相当简单的设置，即在模型系统中评估功能。为了使植物蛋白水解物在工业上得到更广泛的应用，需要对其功能特性有更深入的了解。蛋白质水解物的结构 - 功能关系需要深入研究。最后，测试更接近实际食品加工条件、从而更接近实际食品的模型系统，将有助于评估植物蛋白水解物是否可以成为其他功能性蛋白质来源的可行替代品。
